COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - THE RED LIGHT BANDIT (SEVERIN FILMS BLU-RAY)
There was a time when being ignorant about world cinema was pretty much assumed. Before the internet, the only way you’d find out about movies in other places was through the pages of trade magazines and the cinephile at your local video store. Now, with a few clicks, you can find and possibly access a vast array of films, shows, and entertainment from all over the world. It has created an interesting problem; we have a harder time establishing unique film identities because the market is now the world, just a country. That means storylines and characters need to be easy to follow, familiar, and understandable across dialects and cultures. The challenge then becomes, how do we discern and promote regional film while also realizing that globalization doesn’t work for niche interests? Regardless of the answer, Severin Films has made a name for themselves as purveyors of global genre cinema, and their recent release of “The Red Light Bandit,” for the first time on Blu-Ray, is a monument to their intention to challenge viewers and raise awareness of the history and nuance to non-North American genre film.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
The story of a famous Brazilian criminal, called The Red Light Bandit because he always used a red flashlight to break in the houses during the night. Working alone, he also used to rape his female victims.
HOW IS IT?
Social politics have long played a role in the horror genre, particularly as a reflection of our cultural fears and anxieties made manifest to the most extreme extent. Sometimes, there is no metaphor and the horror is more grounded and almost documentary-like in its handling of reality. Instead of serving as subtext parading as horror, some films traffic in the horrifying things that happen daily across the world. To the extent one can call these films horror depends on one’s definition, but they are genre films to the fullest dealing with exploitative elements like violence and sex with the style and grace of a drunk elephant. “The Red Light Bandit” is a film that revels in its erratic nature and lack of plot or narrative style, instead feeling more like a series of marginally adjacent clips strung together in a visual montage and time capsule of Brazil in the late 60s. As far as the entertainment factor is concerned, and as to be expected, mileage will definitely vary.
In the same vein of other avant-garde cinema, “The Red Light Bandit” isn’t so much a narrative film as it is one that runs on “vibes.” Murderous, class war-fueled vibes that sometimes feel almost cartoonish and forced and other times frighteningly authentic. The film follows the titular bandit as he wreaks havoc upon mostly upper-class folks and sex workers, articulated as some kind of working-class hero because of his willingness to upend their way of life to the chagrin of both the bourgeois as well as the local police. Speaking of, the only narrative through the line here is that there are some cops looking for the bandit, but we aren’t rooting for them largely because of their utter disdain for the lower class. To them, the only reason it is a crime is that it is happening to those with privilege, but they also show no empathy or solidarity with their class as they see themselves about it, something not too dissimilar to how cops operate today. There is a lot to take in when it comes to subtext with “The Red Light Bandit,” and that is easily its greatest strength. It pummels you with so many ideas, from a news ticker flashing irrelevant headlines to the political drama with the President and his buffoonish character and authoritarian point of view. The problem is, none of these ideas are really developed beyond just flashes, and conclusions are largely left to the viewer, mostly because unless you know the history of Brazilian culture and politics, you are learning as you go relating it to your own experience and perspective.
The biggest detractor for “The Red Light Bandit” is easily the style of filmmaking. Rogério Sganzerla was 21 years old when he wrote and directed “The Red Light Bandit” and it shows. There is a punk rock-ness to filmmaking that is waving a middle finger in the face of academia and aesthetics in favor of just chasing the scene and the moment. The reckless abandon with which the film uses to propel the action forward has a lot of ebbs and flows. Some parts are more interesting than others, and sometimes the most interesting things are seemingly random or disconnected. Fans of experimental filmmaking will likely get more out of this than the average film fan because of how disorienting and inconsistent the filmmaking is, but for the art-house fans, this may be catnip. All this said, “The Red Light Bandit” isn’t a bad film at all. It’s quite an interesting one as it provides perspective about a time and place that we assume many North American audiences are less familiar with, which will act as both a gravitational pull or deterrent depending on the viewer. What is impressive about this release is that is continues to uphold the values of boutique labels like Severin to expose genre fans to new and diverse works that challenge our perspectives and broaden our experiences.
HOW DOES IT LOOK?
Severin has once again unearthed a film that was likely considered lost having its first-ever appearance on Blu-ray anywhere in the world and scanned in 2k from the original camera negative. The negative, however, seemed to be in not the best shape and Severin as always has done what they can to present it as fully and completely as possible. The most notable elements are scratches and scuffs on the print, which are likely due to damage to the negative, but despite that Severin has done wonders with the color balancing to make the black-and-white film pop off the screen! Images from this release are used throughout this review.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Nothing fancy for sound as the film retains the original mono audio track in Portuguese with English subtitles. The sound is solid, with the occasional distortion or popping likely due to quality of the source materials, but the overall volume and robustness is there even in with the limitations of mono audio.
ANYTHING SPECIAL?
With more obscure releases such as “The Red Light Bandit” it would be easy to just omit special features given how limited and niche the scope of the film’s interest may be. Severin doesn’t play that game, and it’s a benefit to all of us cinephiles and physical media champions since this release is packed with heaps of interesting and revelatory supplementary content. The feature we gravitated towards for our review is Cinema Marginal, a 30-minute mini-documentary about the Cinema Marginal film movement that happened in Brazil in the 60s. The subject matter expert, Paulo Sacramento offers so much context and history that it can be almost overwhelming to try and follow. The rise of the film movement as a reaction to the intellectual cinema with a DIY attitude that offers unfiltered honesty. It’s a counterculture movement that many free nations have experienced, and the output of which is often more unpolished works like “The Red Light Bandit.” It is fascinating that given how little Brazilian cinema gets talked about in common film circles, we were surprised to learn that this is one of the most important films to the region’s cinematic output, certainly the most well-known. Paulo’s interview is inter-cut with footage both moving and static to help provide visual aides to what he’s referencing, and the content is so rich we would love to see something more feature-length focused on rebellious film movements or just Brazillain cinema overall. A full list of special features included in this release is below.
Bonus Materials
Cinema Marginal – Interview With Producer And Film Conservationist Paulo Sacramento
The Anti-Muse – Interview With Actress Helena Ignez
Trailer
Short Films
COMICS By Rogério Sganzerla
Introduction To HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Filmmaker Dennison Ramalho
HORROR PALACE HOTEL By Jairo Ferreira
LAST RITES
“The Red Light Bandit” is an eccentric and strangely compelling slice of Brazilian counter-culture in the 60s focused on a would-be Robin Hood-made folk hero with a far more complicated persona. Unadventurous genre fans will likely not find much to cling to, but those seeking something uniquely singular and art-house should seek this out sooner rather than later!
THE GORY DETAILS
Thank you to the fine fiends over at Severin for providing a review copy for the crypt! The Red Light Bandit is available NOW and can be purchased via Severin Direct!
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